Apparatus for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps.



NI. WENZEL.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE FOREIVIOST THREAD IN THE LEASE 0F TEXTILE WARPS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 27, l9l5.

T,2@?4I9 Patented Dee. 5, T916.

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Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

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IVI. WENZEL.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE FOREMOST THREAD IN THE LEASE OF TEXTILE WARPS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.27. I9I5.

Patented Dec. 5, IQIES.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE FOHEIVIOST THREAD IN THE LEASE 0F TEXTILE WARPS.

' l APPLICATION FILED ]A|I.2T. |915.

Paten'd Dee. 5, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

VEN rrwm/fr IVI. WENZEL. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE FOR'EMOST THREAD IN THE LEASE 0F TEXTILE WAR'R'S.

APPLICATION FILED IAN- 21. I9I5 Patented Dec. 5, T916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

I IVI. WENZEL. APPARATUS EUR SEPARATING THE FOREIVIOST THREAD IN THE LEASE 0F TE'XTILE WARPS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-27, 1915.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

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MAX WENZEL, 0F SPREMBERG, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE FOREMOST THREAD IN THE LEASE OF TEXTILE WARPS.

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Application filed January 27, 1915.

To all "tu/tom t may concern Be it known that l, MAX VVnNznL, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at No. 13 Forstenerstrasse, Spremberg, near Lausitz, Kingdom lof Prussia, Empire of Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating the Foremost Thread in the Lease of TeX- tile ilfarps, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to a process for separating and feeding forwardv the foremost thread in leases of textile warps.

According to my invention the movement .t of the thread along the lease bars is employed in order to separate the foremost thread from the remaining threads. Hitherto. the separation of the thread has exclusively been edected by all the oppositely disposed threads being pushed or forced back along the lease bars. JAccording to my invention, however, the movement of the thread to be separated is eected forwardly with the threads lying in the lease similarly to the thread to be separated, while the other lease threads are held back.

With the method hitherto employed of of that to be separated, to the rear, it is not possible with fibrous thread materials, especially with loosely twisted wool-threads, and also with loose threads and the like which easily bind and cohere to obtain by the simple movement of the threads along the lease bars, a sufficient gap for the insertion of the tools and for grasping4 and feeding forward the separated foremost thread,pbecause the thread to be separated coheres to the others and is drawn backward with same. Other means are therefore necessary in order to with certainty completely separate the foremost thread in the lease and to maintain its distance from the remaining threads sufliciently great to allow of the insertion ofthe working tools for the feeding forward of the separated thread. The whole mechanism is thus rendered more complicated and the speed of working isreduced. With the new process, however, it is attained that by means of the crossing` of the retained threads which do not lie similarly with the thread to be separated, with those threads which do lie similarly with the thread to'be separated, those threads which lie similarly with the thread. to he lseparated prevented Specification of Letters Patent.

llatented Dec. 5, i916.

Serial No. 4,?60.

from following the latter which is thus positively released from the remaining threads, and between the separated thread and the remaining similarly lying threads there is formed in the center of the lease a completely free intermediate space s-uflicing for inserting the means for the forward feeding of the separated thread.

rlihe process according to the present invention for separating the foremost thread in the thread-lease permits of a hitherto unattainable working speed and consequently requires means for the further feeding of the separated thread, which are capable of working with certainty at a considerably higher speed than means hitherto known. According' to the present invention the separated thread is blown away from the lease by means 0f compressed air toward suction nozzles which hold the thread in a position in which it is with certainty grasped by a gripper-hook which executes the usual gripper-hook movement, z'. e, a swinging motion in the vertical plane and a longitudinal movement in the direction of the lease rods. The compressed air nozzles and the suction nozzles are arranged in mouth-shaped parts of a swinging arm whose mouth is open toward the lease. ln said mouth are situated the compressed air nozzles opposite to the suction nozzle arranged in the throat of the mouth, and the pipings to both kinds of nozzles are controlled by the swinging movement of the swinging arm through which they pass.

When the gripper has grasped the thread held by the air currents, the swinging arm swings with the nozzles out of the path through which the thread is further guided, and the gripper transfers the grasped thread to a stepwise moved gripper-chain which guides the thread to the manipulating device and after its manipulation to a pair of gripper-hooks of which the one leads the thread to the other hook which is to hold the now prepared thread.

A simple device for carrying into effect the separating process according to the present invention consists of comb-like tools which in addition to a movement along the lease bars have also movements vertical to the plane of the chain and operate in such a manner that always one of said tools, en- Uaging in the initial position in the threads lying diseinilarly with the thread to be separated, holds back these latter, while the other tool which engages the thread to be separated and the threads lying'similarly with same, is moved forward and submits the thread-at the end of its forward movement to the influence of the air currents which hold back the separated thread, while the remaining threads, in consequence of their tension, fly back. The comb is thereupon returned to its initial position in which it again comes into engagement with the appertaining warp threads, while the other comb executes its forward movement in the Slme manner.

16 mounted in the frame walls. v5.0

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 Yis a front view, Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. A3 is a side view partly in section along the line A-B of Fig. 1 of the whole device for separating and further feeding the foremost thread in the thread-lease, Fig. 4 is a front view of the swinging arm with the mouth provided with pressure and suction nozzles, Figs. 5 and 6 are side views in different positions of the swinging arm according to Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a section on the line C-D of Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 8 is a detail of the comb-motion in elevation, Figs. 9-15 are elevational diagrammatical views which illustrate the different steps in the process, while Figs. 16-18 show the further feeding of the separated thread in side view, in different positions of the appertaining tools.

Tn all the figures similar parts are indicated by similar references.

K, K are the two lease rods, and a` is the one lease thread, and I) the other lease thread. The threads of each group lie similarly with respect to each other. Parallel to the lease rods there are arranged above same and in the same frame walls 2 and 3 which are interconnected by means of cross- Vmembers 4 and 5, the slides G and 7 in recessed guides 8 and 9 and movable along the lease bars. They are connected by means of 'links l0 and 11 with the longer arms 12 and .14 of bell crank levers 12, 13 and 14, 15 which are pivotally arranged upon a shaft Their shorter arms 13 and 15 are provided with adjusting slots17, 17 jin which are adjust- Vably arranged bolts 18, 18 with which engage eccentrics 19 and 20. The latter are displaced 180O with relation t0 each other land secured on a common shaft 21 which, in the manner to be described hereinafter, is rotated for half a revolution on each work- .ing operation, so that the two slides 6 and 7 execute opposite movements alongthejlease bars. On the side of each slide 6 and 7 is .provided a'pivot 23 with which engages the appertaining links 10 and 11. Upon these pivots is further swingably arranged a dou- -ble-armed lever 24, 25. 4`The arm24 of this :lever carries a lateral pin 26 `upon which acts a spring 27 tending to force this arm down ward. At the free end of the arm 24 is provided a comb c and d preferably adjustable in the vertical direction. This comb possesses two or more prongs, for example four prongs, of which the foremost prong c1 or d1 (see also Figs. 9-15) is longer than the remaining prongs which themselves are of equal length. The block carrying the prongs of the comb is provided with an adjusting slot 28 through which passes an adjusting screw 29 secured to the arm 24, and provided with nut 30. The block is prevented from turning by bearing at one side on a lateral projection 31 of the arm 24. The latter possesses further at the head end a projection 32 with a slot 33 through which passes a locking pawl 34 which is swingably mounted upon a pivot 35 on the corresponding slide 6 or 7 and which said pawl is under the influence of a spring 36 tending to force same into the locking position. The locking nose 37 of the pawl 34 comes into its locking position under the front cross-bar of the projection 32 of the arm 24 in order to thus hold the arm 24 at a determined height, while the slide 6 or 7 is drawn backward. The release of the pawl 34 is effected on the completion of the return movement by an adjustable stop 38, for example a stud in the cross-bar 4 of the frame, the position of said stud being assured by a lock-nut 39. When released from the pawl 34, the arm 24 is forced with the comb c or d into its deepest position.

For raising the arm 24 with the appertaining comb into the highest position there is provided for each lever an arm 40. The two arms are mounted upon a common shaft 41 mounted in the frame walls and in Fig. 3 cover each other. To the shaft 4l is imparted a swinging movement from a cam 42 on the driving shaft 22 against the circumference of which is pressed a roller 43 on the roller 44 by means of a spring 45. Said spring is secured at one end with a pin 40 in the frame wall 3 and at the other end to a pin 47 on the connecting rod 44 whose one end is forked for the purpose of being guided on the shaft 22, while the other end is jointedly Y connected to an arm 48 on the shaft4l. The

arms 40 act upon the arms 25 of the twoarmed lever 24,25 by the intermediary of adjusting screws 49 situated in eyes 401 at the end of the arm 40, by means of which adjusting screws the arm 40 is adjusted with relation to the arms 25 of the two-armed 1evers 24, 25, so that the action is adjustable. The ends of the arms 25 of the two-armed levers 24, 25 are only then in the path of the adjusting screws 49 when the levers with the combs 0 and Z are in their foremost position. Since in the drawing this is only true of one of the combs, only that comb which is in the foremost position will rise. i The lforemost thread released by the movement of the combs c, d in the lease in the manner to be described is within the range of the pressure and suction air currents in the mouth 50, 51 on the swinging arm 52 which is swingable about a bolt 58 secured to the side wall 8 of the frame and pressed by means of a spring 54 in the axial direction against the controlling casing 55. The sliding surfaces of the hub of the swinging arm and of the control casing are ground together. In the control casing emerges the pressure piping 56 and the suction piping 57 which are connected to the pressure and suction pipe of an air pump or fan. In that wall of the control casing 55 facing the swinging arm 52 there are situated the mouths 561, 571 of the pressure and suction air` piping and the adjacent side of the hub possesses corresponding openings which form the mouth of suction and pressure pipings which pass through the hub of the swinging arm and the arm itself as far as the mouth. The pressure air piping 58 is led to the hook-shaped ends 501, 511 of the jaws 50, 51 and correspondingly branched (Figs. 4-7). The mouths of the pressure piping are situated on the inner sides 50, 51 of the hoo-k ends of the mouth 50, 51 and are directed toward the throat in which are situated the mouths 59, 59 of the suction air piping 59. rIhe mouth 50, 51 is divided cross-wise and between its parts there can enter a gripper hook 60 which can grasp, hold fast and guide to the feeding device the thread which is blown into the throat of the mouth 50, 51` by the current of compressed air flowing from the nozzles 50, 51, and simultaneously sucked by the suction nozzles 59, 59 into the throat, after the swinging arm 52 is swung from its working position (Fig. 5) into that position (Fig. 6) in which it lies outside the path of the released thread, so that this latter can pass beneath said swinging arm. The mouth 50, 51 on the swinging arm 52 and the gripper 60 work in the center of the lease. In the working position of the mouth 50, 51, the pressure and suction piping mouths of the control casing coincide with those of the swinging arm (Fig. 5), while with the mout-h swung out of the working position (Fig. 6), the openings no longer coincide, so that unnecessary waste of air is avoided. rIhe swinging arm 52 is actuated against the action of a spring 61 by means of a cam 62 on the driving shaft 22. This shaft is surrounded by the forked end of a connecting rod 68 on which is rotatably mounted a roller 64 bearing against the periphery of the cam 62 and which connecting rod engages with a short arm 65 on the hub of the swinging arm 52. 0n the second arm 66 on the hub of the swinging arm is secured one end of a tension spring 61 whose other end is hooked to a puin 67 on "the wall 3 of the frame. v

From the shaft 22 the gripper 60 also receives its movement. The hook of this gripper is provided, for example with two prongs, so that the separated thread which is held by the mouth 50, 51 of the swinging 70 arm 52 is engaged by the fork of the hook. rlhe bar of the gripper 60 is a two-armed lever 71, 72 whose pivot 78 is situated upon the longer downwardly directed arm of a bell-crank lever 74, 75 which is swingably arranged upon a shaft 7 6 mounted in the side walls 2, 3 and whose arm 75 is under the influence of a tension spring 77 which at one end engages with the arm 75 and at the other end is secured to the frame wall. OnV the arm 74 of the bell-crank lever 74, 75 there engages a connecting rod 78 whose forked end engages with the shaft 22 and which carries a roller 79 which bears against a cam 80 on the shaft 22. This cam acts against the spring 77 which presses the roller 79 against the cam.

The arm 72 of the bar of the gripper hook 60 carries at the end a lateral pivot 68 which is guided by a guide consisting of a fixed guide-block 69 and a resilient movable guide tongue 70 and pressed by means of a spring 81 on to the guiding surfaces, which said spring engages at one end with the arm 74 of the bell-crank lever 74, 75 and at the other end with the arm 72 of the gripper bar. The above mentioned guide imparts to the gripper hook an upward and downward oscillation on its to and fro movement along the lease rods caused by the cam 80. The 100 gripper carries the thread engaged by same to an endless stepwise movable gripper chain 82 which runs over lixed chain rollers 88, 84, on pivots 85, 86 on the side wall 2 of the frame, and which chain is further 105 guided by fixed guide rails 87, 88 and 89, behind the chain roller 88 in such a manner that a part of the chain runs parallel with the lease rails and then somewhat suddenly upward toward the chain roller 84.

The individual members of the gripper chain 82 possess outwardly directed fingers 90 which engage and carry along the thread guided to and deposited before same by the gripper hook 60. Consequently, as shown 1l5 in Figs. 2 and 16-18, there are always at least four threads at the same time in readiness to be manipulated. The gripper chain is given a stepwise movement and executes a forward step when the shaft 22 makes one U0 revolution. For this purpose there lis rigidly connected with the chain wheel 84 a ratchet wheel 91 in which engages a pawl 92 on a lever 98 which likewise swings about the pivot 86 and is connected by means of a 125 connecting rod 94 with the arms 95 of a V- shaped lever 95, 96 which is secured to a rocking shaft 97 mounted in the frame walls 2 3. On the arm 96 of the lever 95, 96 there engages the 'red 96 of an eccentric 99 mount 130 i ed on the shaft 22.

The joint balls 100,'101 of the connecting rod 94 and of the eccentric rod 98 are arranged adjustably in radial direction in adjusting slots 102, 103 of the arms 95, 96 for the purpose of regulating the stroke. The ratchet wheel 91 is thus turned one tooth on each rotation of the driving shaft 22. On each ratchet movement, the gripper chain 82 moves one complete step forward, so that by the next finger 90 the released thread is grasped and taken along. From the ratchet gear 91, 92 there is also driven the shaft 21. On each rotation of the ratchet wheel 91 for one tooth, the shaft 21 is rotated for half a revolution corresponding to the rotation of the eccentric 19, 20 about 1800. For this purpose a gear wheel 104 is secured to the ratchet wheel 91, said gear wheel engaging in a similar wheel 105 on the shaft 21. The separated threads are manipulated while being held together by the fingers 90 of the gripper chain 82. The completed threads are engaged by a gripper hook 106 and led farther, said hook being situated on the arm 107 of a two-armed lever 107, 108. The pivot 109 of the latter is arranged on the arm 110 of a two-armed lever 110, 111 which swings about a fixed pivot 112 and which is connected by means of a connecting rod 113 with a lever arm 114 on the shaft 97. The connecting pivot 115 is adjustable Vin an adjusting slot 116 of the arm 114 in order to regulate thestroke. The end of the arm 108 Vof the lever 107, 108 is provided with a lateral pin 117 which is controlled' by means of a guide consisting o-f a fixed guide blo-ck 118 and a movable guide tongue 119. The pivot 120 of the guide tongue 119 passes through a' projection 21 of the wall 2 and Y carries `on the other side a lever arm 121.

On this latter there engages a spring 122 which tends to force the tongue 119 against the block 118. The lever arm 121 is further connected by means of connecting rod 123 with the shorter arm 124 of a bell crank lever 124, 125 which swings about a fixed pivot 126 and whose longer arm 125 ends in a hook 127. This latter Vserves for temporarily holding the finished manipulated threads. The eccentric 99 imparts to the gripper hook 106 its to and fro movement in which, by meansof the guidesy 118, 119, said hook executes an upward anddownward swinging motion. If the guide tongue, onthethrough-passage of the lateral pin 117 during the return movement of the grip- Vper hook106, is forced away from the guide 'Vblock.118, then the holding hook 127 is given an upward movement, wherebyit from time to time releases the threads held fastby same and then immediately, after the gripper lioolr106 has fed the next thread, returns into its osition of rest. During the eriod iawhc the hook 197 relcaseslthet reads.

they are held together with the new threads by the gripper hook 106.

In order to push back the remaining lease threads into the correct position after the separation of a thread, so that when working quickly the chain is prevented from grasping the remaining threads, a thrustlever 128 is provided which forms the longer arm of a two-armed lever 128, 129. This latter is rotatable upon a pivot 130 secured tothe casing wall. On the arm 129 there engages a tension spring 131 which at the other end is hooked to a pin 132 on the frame wall 3. On the arm 129 there is further jointed a connecting rod 133 whose other forked end surrounds the shaft 21 and lies with a roller 134 against a double cam 135 on the shaft 21. The thrust lever 128 thus receives on each rotation of the shaft 21 a working movement.

The method of working of the device is as follows -In the initial position (Figs. 3 and 9) the combs c and d, on account of the pawls 34 which hold said combs in the initial middle position during the reverse being released by contacting with the stops 38, are brought into the lower position in which their shorter prongs engage with the appertaining lease threads a or o, so that they engage with a large number of the foremost threads. In Fig. 9, al is the foremost thread in the lease. As this thread is to be first separated, there is imparted to the comb c a forward movement along the lease bars. This is effected by the eccentric 19 on the shaft 21. The comb d simultaneously returns into the initial position and in the lower position into which it arrives it engages with the lease threads Z) and holds same fast. The threads now assume the position shown in Fig. 10. The thread al now lies quite apart from the remaining threads, the threads a2 and a3 being held back in the middle of the lease by the threads b1 and b2 crossing same, and the thread al forms the base of a triangle whose opposite sides are formed by the threads a2, a3 and b1, b2. At this moment the mouth 50, 51 of the swinging arm 52 comes over the separated thread a? which is now held inthe throat of the mouth by the air currents, so that the gripper comes over, descends and grasps said thread a. The mouth 50, 51 (Fig. 11) now swings back and the gripper 60 guides the separated thread a1 to the gripper chain 82 whose fingers 90 Vengage the thread on the following forward separated thread al, the latter can be released by the comb c. For this purpose the latter is raised by the arm 40 in its foremost position into its highest position in the manner described (shown dotted in Fig. 3). The threads a2, a3 now spring back under their own tension and the thrust lever 128 insures the complete closing up of the threads a2, a3 and b1, b2. The arm 4() then returns into its position of rest. The comb c is released and, in consequence of the action of the spring 27 sinks into its middle position in which, by means of the notch 37 of the pawl 34 it is held during the return movement which it executes on the next movement of the ratchet gear 91, 92, while simultaneously the comb dis moved forward. ln the middle position, the forward longer prong c1 of the comb c strikes against the previously brought forward threads a2, a3 when the comb c arrives in its initial position in which it again engages with the threads a when passingfrom the middle position (dotted in Fig. 12) into the lower position (full lines in Fig. 12), then holding fast said threads a. rlhe comb CZ moved forward in the lower position has taken with it the threads b1, Z22, b3 and results in the position of the threads shown in Fig. 13, in which the now foremost thread 1 is separated from the remaining threads in the same manner as previously occurred with the thread a1. The comb Z now receives from the appertaining arm 40 in its foremost position, its upward movement into the highest position, whereby all threads are released after the mouth 50, 51 has taken-up the separated thread b1 which is now grasped by the gripper 60. The threads b2, b3 swing back'under their own tension and are pushed back by the thrust lever 128 to the remaining lease. The comb d is then again released during its downward movement by the spring 27 and arrives on the nose 37 of the appertaining pawl 34.-, so that it is now situated in the middle position. The combs 0 and d now again change their positions by means of the eccentrics 20, 21 in consequence of the further movement of the ratchet gear 91, 92 to the extent of one tooth. The comb ci returns into the middle position (Fig. la) and, having'arrived in the initial position and returning into its lower position by the release of the pawl 34;, engages and holds fast the remaining threads b, while the comb c carries the thread 0:2 forward with the followingthreads. The thread b1 has in the meantime been transferred to the gripper chain 82 bythe gripper 60 and the gripper hook 106 has brought a completed thread behind the holding hook 127. The operation is repeated continually in the manner above described.`

lt is" clear that the change in position of the combs 0 and Z need not necessarily take place simultaneously, as illustrated. The one comb may remain in the initial position until the other has returned into its initial position. This has been assumed in Figs. 9-15 in order to be able to better illustrate the different positions of the threads. It is further clear that the holding back of the threads lying dissimilarly to the thread to be separated, and the drawing forward of the threads lying similarly to the thread to be separated cannot only be effected above one of the lease rods, but also below, or above and below. The illustrated device works in the same manner below the warp as above the warp and can therefore be arranged below the warp instead of above as shown in the drawings.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a machine for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps, the combination, of means for seizing and holding the thread adapted to reciprocate vertically and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said rst named means engage, in their initial position and during their forward movement, with the corresponding threads in such a manner that one of said first named means holds back the threads held thereby, while the other of said first named means carries forward the foremost of its threads, a gripping device, and a conveying device, substantially as hereinbefore described and for the purpose specified.

2. In a machine for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said combs engage, in their initial position and during their forward movement, with the corresponding threads in such a manner that the one comb holds back thevthreads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the foremost of its threads, the foremost prong of each of said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby said combs are moved only to such an extent upward or downward during the return movement into the initial position, that the foremost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, a gripping device and a conveying device, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

3. In a machine for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said combs engage, in `their initial position andy 'during their` forward movement, with the corre,-

sponding threads in such a manner that the one comb holds back the threads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the foremost of Vits threads, the foremost prong of each of said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby said combs are moved only to such an extent upward or downward during the return movement into the initial position, that the foremost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, a gripping kdevice and a conveying device, means for resiliently forcing said combs into engaging position, means for raising or lowering said combs in their front end Vlposition, means for arresting said combs in a middle position, and means for releasing said arresting means, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

4. In a machine for separating the foremost'thread in the le-ase of textile warps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said combs engage, in their initial position and during their forward movement, with the correc sponding threads in such a manner that the eef one'V comb holds back the threads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the foremost of its threads, the foremost prong Y of each of said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby said combs are moved only to such an extent upward or downward Vduring the return movement into the initial position, that the foremost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, means for resiliently forcing said combs into engaging position, means for raising or lowering said combs in their front end position, means for arresting said'combs in a middle position, means for releasing said arresting means, air suction nozzles, air pressure nozzles, means whereby the foremost comb brings the separated thread into the range of the air currents of said nozzles, a gripping device for engaging said thread, and a conveying device, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. In a machine for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the leaseV rods,'means whereby said combs engage, in their initial position and during their forward movement, withthe corresponding threads in such a manner that the one comb holds back the threads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the oremost of its threads, the foremost prong of eachof said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby said combs are moved only to such an extent upward or; downward, during the return movement -into the initial' position, that the Vforemost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, means for resiliently forcing said combs into engaging position, means for raising 0r lowering said combs in their front end position, means for arresting said combs in a middle position, and means for releasing said arresting means, a swinging arm, a mouth therein, air suction nozzles mounted in the throat thereof, air pressure nozzles mounted at the ends of the jaws of said mouth and directed toward said suction nozzles, a gripping device for engaging said thread, and a conveying device, substantially as herein described and for the purpose specified.

6. In a machine for separating the foremost thread inthe lease o-f textile wai-ps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said combs engage, in their initial position and during their forward movement, with the corresponding threads in such a manner that the one comb holds back the threads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the foremost of its threads, the foremost prong of each of said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby said combs are moved only to such an extent upward or downward during the return movement into the initial position, that the foremost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, means for resiliently forcing said combs into engaging position, means for raising or lowering said combs in their front end position, means for arresting said combs in a middle position, means for releasing said arresting means, a' swinging arm, a mouth therein, air suction nozzles mounted in the throat thereof, air pressure nozzles, mounted at the ends of the jaws of said mouth and directed toward said suction nozzles, a gripping device for engaging said thread, a conveying device, means whereby said swinging arm is moved into the initial position on the feeding of the thread by the comb, and means whereby said arm is swung out of the path of the separated thread after the latter has been grasped by the gripping device, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

7. In a machine for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said combs engage, in their initial position and during their forward movement, with the corresponding threads in such a manner that the one comb holds back the threads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the foremost of its threads, the foremost prong of each of said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby said combs are moved only to such an eX- tent upward or downward during the return movement into the initial position, that the foremost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, means for resiliently forcing said combs into engaging position, means for raising or lowering said combs in their front end position, means for arresting said combs in a middle position, means for releasing said arresting means, a swinging arm, a mouth therein, air suction nozzles mounted in the throat thereof, air pressure nozzles mounted at the ends of the jaws of said mouth and directed toward said suction nozzles, a gripping device for engaging said thread, a conveying device, means Vwhereby said swinging arm is moved into the initial position on the feeding of the thread by the combs, and means whereby said arm is swungout of the path of the separated thread after the latter has been grasped by the gripping device, and means whereby the air pressure and suction currents are controlled by the oscillations of said swinging arm, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

8. ln a machine for separating the foremost thread in the lease of textile warps, the combination of combs adapted to reciprocate vertically, and horizontally along the lease rods, means whereby said combs en gage, in their initial position and during their forward movement with the corresponding threads in such a manner that the one comb holds back the threads held thereby, while the other comb carries forward the foremost of its threads, the foremost prong of each of said combs being longer than the remaining combs, means whereby saidl combs are moved only to such an extent upward or downward during the return movement into the initial position, that the foremost prong engages with the threads which have sprung back under their own tension, means for resiliently forcing said combs into engaging position, means for raising or lowering said combs in their front end position, means for arresting said combs in a middle position, and means for releasing said arresting means, a swinging arm, a mouth therein, air suction nozzles mounted in the throat thereof, air pressure nozzles mounted at the ends of the jaws of said mouth and directed toward said suction nozzles, a gripping device for engaging said thread, means whereby said swinging arm is moved into the initial position on the feeding of the thread by the combs, and means whereby said arm is swung out of the path of the separated thread after the latter has been grasped by the gripping device, and means whereby the air pressure and suction currents are controlled by the oscillations of said swinging arm, a conveying member, fingers thereon, means whereby said gripping device feeds the separated thread to said conveying member, means whereby said chain is guided parallel to the lease rods at the place where the threads are manipulated, and means whereby the thread, at the end of the parallel path is fed to a second gripper, a holding hook for the completed threads, and means whereby said second gripper conveys the thread to said holding hook, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX VVENZEL. llVitnesses:

VVOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HAsrER.

opes of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

